根據英國石油與美國國家事故指揮官退役海岸巡防上將艾倫(Thad Allen)表示，8月3日開始對墨西哥灣漏油油井進行的「靜態封堵」(static kill)程序獲得成功，此程序是作為封井的預備。
「靜態封堵」的施作是，工程師從海面上的船隻將鑽井液(drilling mud)經由油井的豎井加壓注入海底，並利用防堵罩閥(capping stack)放置於油井口之上，阻止石油不再溢漏到墨西哥灣。此罩閥是用多個閥門組成的複合裝置，在7月15日即已安裝就位。
目前，工程師將要決定是否將水泥灌入油井中，艾倫上將曾表示，此決策要看其所認定位於地表下一英里處損壞的鑽桿內狀況為何而定。
下個步驟便將是完成減壓井的開鑿作業，此舉最後會終結掉這個製造問題的漏油油井。
依據聯邦政府4日發布的科學報告指出，英國石油溢漏到墨灣的大多數石油，不是已經揮發，便是被燒掉、撈起、分散，或自油井口攔截。美國海洋暨大氣管理局(NOAA)與內政部開發出一個石油帳目計算器，讓25個政府與獨立科學家對於漏油事件之影響得以提出測量辦法並進行最佳評估(best estimates)。
該報告由多個聯邦機構的科學家完成，且數據經過聯邦其他科學家和非屬聯邦機構科學家的同儕審查。
海洋暨大氣管理局局長盧布琴科(Jane Lubchenco)告訴記者：「除了約26%之外，我們掌握了全部(的漏油去向)。而其中大部分是經由分解過程，以及海岸上的清理工作。」
「這次分析採用最新所發布的490萬桶石油來計算，加減10%差距，這包括直接測量，以及在不能直接量測的地方採最佳估計值。」盧布琴科說。
490萬桶石油乃是由政府的流速技術小組2日所做的推估。英國石油蒐集到當中的80萬桶，以船舶運到岸上的煉油廠，而另有410萬桶的石油流入海灣水體中。這份新報告估計，深水地平線漏油總量之中的三分之一已藉由聯合指揮部的復元工作攔截或進行處理，包括燃燒、撈除、化學分解，以及自油井口直接回收。
另外漏油總量的25%已自然揮發或溶解，有16%自然分散成極小的飛沫。
報告也發現，剩餘的漏油量中，約有26%在海面或在海面正下方形成殘餘與風化的油塊，已經被沖上岸或者自岸上蒐集起來，或是被沙土與沉積物掩埋。
分散與殘餘的石油會留存在於生態系統中，直到它們經由自然過程分解。
這份聯邦報告並未針對石油長期的影響做出結論。要完整了解漏油對墨西哥灣生態系的損害與影響，將需要時間以及持續的監測與研究。
盧布琴科說：「有大批的研究船隻繼續在墨西哥灣地區活動，他們已經開始查明海面下的石油濃度以及其被生物分解的速度。」
The "static kill" procedure begun yesterday to prepare for sealing BP's blown-out well in the Gulf of Mexico has been successful, according to the company and National Incident Commander retired Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen.
For the static kill, engineers pumped drilling mud from vessels on the surface down the well's riser pipe and through the capping stack, a complex set of valves atop the wellhead that has kept oil from spilling into the gulf since it was put in place July 15.
Now engineers will decide whether or not to put cement down the well, a decision that Admiral Allen said depends on what conditions they believe exist inside the damaged drill pipe a mile below the surface.
The next step will be to finish off the relief well that will finally kill the troublesome leaking well.
Most of the oil from the BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico has either evaporated or been burned, skimmed, recovered from the wellhead or dispersed, according to a scientific report released today by the federal government.
An Oil Budget Calculator developed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, and the Department of the Interior enabled 25 government and independent scientists to provide measurements and best estimates of what happened to the spilled oil.
The report was produced by scientific experts from several federal agencies, with peer review of the calculations by both other federal and non-federal scientists.
NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco told reporters today, "We can account for all but about 26 percent. And of that, much of that is in the process of being degraded and cleaned up on the shore."
"This analysis uses the recently released calculation of 4.9 million barrels, plus or minus 10 percent, and includes both direct measurements as well as the best estimates where direct measurements were not possible," Lubchenco said.
The figure of 4.9 million barrels is the government's Flow Rate Technical Group estimate from Monday. Of that, 800,000 barrels were collected by BP in ships for trasport to refineries on shore, leaving an estimated 4.1 barrels of oil that entered gulf waters.
The new report estimates that a third of the total amount of oil released in the Deepwater Horizon/BP spill was captured or mitigated by the Unified Command recovery operations, including burning, skimming, chemical dispersion and direct recovery from the wellhead.
An additional 25 percent of the total oil naturally evaporated or dissolved, and 16 percent was dispersed naturally into microscopic droplets.
The residual amount, about 26 percent, is either on or just below the surface as residue and weathered tarballs, has washed ashore or been collected from the shore, or is buried in sand and sediments, the report finds.
Dispersed and residual oil remain in the ecosystem until they degrade through natural processes.
The federal report does not make conclusions about the long-term impacts of oil. Fully understanding the damages and impacts of the spill on the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem will take time and continued monitoring and research.
Lubchenco said, "A large number of research vessels continue to be active in the gulf, and they're underway to understand the concentrations of subsurface oil and the rate at which it is being biodegraded."
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